| Driver training is not about teaching people
to drive, but about re-educating drivers’ hearts and
minds, explains Dave Abbott, director of RAC Risk Management |
Dave Abbott, director
of RAC Risk Management |
 |
| “Driver training
is all about developing drivers‘ concentration, observation
and awareness” |
COAST – concentration, observation, awareness, space,
time – are the five essentials to driving safely. And driver
training is not about teaching people to drive; it is about teaching
drivers to manage the risk they face every time they get behind
the wheel of their vehicle, according to Dave Abbott, director
of RAC Risk Management.
Almost every road accident involves an element of driver error,
which is invariably caused by motorists driving without fully
concentrating (autopilot) and, therefore, failing to perceive
the risk to themselves and others. “Driver training is
all about developing drivers’ concentration, observation
and awareness, which will then build in the two main parameters
for a safe journey – space and time,” he says. Hence,
in the commercial world with resultant timescales, there has
been a shift away from system-based training based on Roadcraft,
the police driving manual, to a programme of awareness and management
of the risk.
Too many fleet operators and company directors believe that
driver training is about teaching their at-work drivers the same
skills they learned when they undertook their driving test. “By
improving driver observation, we can reduce the number of accidents
they are involved in and, therefore, the costs associated with
those accidents,” says Mr Abbott. RAC Risk Management calculates
that the average cost of an accident in terms of “bent
metal” is about £850. However, add in the hidden
costs – which could include replacement car hire, missed
appointments, administration costs, and so on – and the
costs rocket by at least 400%, and some would argue significantly
further still.
Further spin-offs of a half-a-day’s driver training with
RAC Risk Management, which costs £165, will also include
improved fuel efficiency as a result of improved perception,
as well as mechanical sympathy, leading to reduced vehicle wear
and tear, particularly in relation to tyres, brakes and clutch.
Mr Abbott estimates fleet operating savings from a driver attending
a half-day course to be £1,000 per car or van per year
and about £3,000 per truck per year, as fuel cost for trucks
is significantly greater as a part of overall operating costs.
Management buy-in for driver-training success is crucial, argues
Mr Abbott. “We know what the cost of accidents are and
we know the savings that driver training brings because we can
measure it through insurance premiums and claims.
EU gets tough on professional driving
standards
Tough new European legislation is set to significantly raise the standard
of professional driving in the UK when it is adopted in 2008/09. The
European Union directive on the training of professional drivers has
been adopted by Brussels and is due for introduction in the UK for bus
and minibus drivers in September 2008 and for large goods vehicle drivers
in September 2009. The UK government is expected to publish a consultation
document on its proposals for adopting the directive in the near future
with the legislation expected to be in place by 2006, although the Freight
Transport Association believes that deadline may be missed.
While the fine details of the legislation continue
to be worked out, the legislation is expected to outline
that:
- Would-be professional drivers will have to undertake
up to a total of 280 hours training before they can
take their test. That will mean about six weeks’ worth
of training instead of the present four days
- Existing professional driver licence holders will
have to undergo a mandatory 35-hour refresher driving
course every five years
RAC Risk Management is currently working behind the
scenes with UK authorities and organisations, including
the Driving Standards Agency and TRL (Transport Research
Laboratory), to formulate the tough new courses which
it will add to its training programme. Major features
of courses for both new and experienced drivers will
be aimed at teaching drivers how better to deal with “catastrophic
accidents” such as vehicle rollovers and jack-knifes,
and encouraging environmentally-friendly driving.RAC
Risk Management director Dave Abbott explains: “A
large amount of training will be undertaken on a simulator
and we are in the process of working with various agencies
to decide how much off-road training will be involved.
We believe there are huge benefits to be had by introducing
professional drivers to simulator training. One hour
on the simulator may be worth significantly more than
a similar time on road.”
The tougher rules governing professional drivers are
set to be a key influence on whether the current influx
of foreign drivers into the UK continues. Mr Abbott explains: “We
have an on-going shortage of truck drivers and that is
being addressed by a lot of firms recruiting foreign
labour, particularly from Eastern Europe. However, many
of these drivers are not very experienced and we have
come across many examples of licence irregularities. “The
new European legislation, when adopted by the UK, will
put the truck and bus industries under real pressure
and driver training will come much higher up the priority
list and we will be at the forefront of that safety-focused
opportunity.” |
“What differs from company to company is the shelf life
of the training, and that is determined by the culture of the
company.” If the client company’s culture of safety
is “right” then, Mr Abbott says, a half-day of driver
training equates to a two-year shelf life. “For an investment
of £165 per employee the benefit for a car or van driver
is at least £2,000 and it is £6,000 for a truck driver.
That must rank as the most cost-effective training in the industry,” he
says. At the end of a driver-training course, a computer-generated
report records the trainer’s comments on 12 key driver-related
issues: concentration, observation, anticipation, awareness,
mirror use, signal use, brake lights, hazards, space, manoeuvring,
attitude and fuel efficiency. In addition, training points and
recommendations are also noted.
Any accident is inevitably followed by an excuse from the driver involved along
the lines of: “It wasn’t my fault …”; “All of
a sudden … ” or “Sorry mate; I didn’t see you …”.
RAC Risk Management, not surprisingly, has a training remedy for all excuses,
with the first one solved through the encouragement of accountability, motivation
and ownership. “Through training, if these three factors are understood
and accepted, we are halfway to reducing the number and cost of accidents because
we are changing the culture,” says Mr Abbott.
|
| “What differs from
company to company is the shelf life of the training, and
that is determined by the culture of the company” |
“Meanwhile, drivers who ‘suddenly’ find themselves
involved in an accident do so as a result of a lapse in concentration. “Most
people drive on autopilot for the majority of time and concentrate
perhaps for only 25% of the time they are behind the wheel on
any journey,” says Mr Abbott, who points to distractions
both inside and outside the vehicle and in the mind for the lack
of attention. “Through training, we can encourage drivers
to focus their attention when the risk is high and that is achieved
by managing concentration levels,” he explains. That risk
level may rise as a function of geography – the driver
being unfamiliar with the area through which they are travelling;
or a function of the task being undertaken – a manoeuvre
being carried out, for example overtaking, parking or reversing.
Finally, by improving observation, the “I didn’t
see you” excuse is removed from the driver’s accident
vocabulary. Mr Abbott explains: “When drivers are not concentrating,
their field of vision is closed down. By managing their vision
and encouraging them to see the bigger picture, drivers can perceive
and manage what is happening around them.” Through the
improvement of concentration, observation, anticipation and awareness,
space and time will be created and therefore the risk of being
involved in an accident will diminish.
|
| “By improving observation,
the 'I didn't see you' excuse is removed” |
“If drivers can build space and time around their car,
they have built a safety margin around themselves that will give
them the ability to react to a problem that arises. The principle
of building space and time into the driving equation is about
improving awareness. Concentration levels are being raised so
they can deal with the unexpected and road accidents then don’t
occur. This method of teaching is totally accepted by experienced
drivers because they are being given new knowledge,” says
Mr Abbott. “Hazard perception is not about whether a driver
spots a hazard; it is about how soon. Trainers are able to measure
a driver’s propensity for an accident by timing their response
to the appearance of a hazard.” Drivers all believe that
they are “good drivers”, but few have updated their
knowledge since taking the driving test – and many form
opinions about the performance of others based on wrong information. “We get resistance to driver training from directors
because they want their staff out on the road selling and not
training and from drivers because they have already passed their
driving test,” he explains. “But we are not teaching
people to drive. We are teaching people to manage the risk and
there is no real substitute for putting a person behind the wheel
with an experienced instructor. Hands-on driver training is without
doubt the most effective method of changing driver behaviour.”
For
further information, visit: Website: www.rac.co.uk
Cattles come to RAC
Leading UK financial services company
Cattles plc has begun an all-encompassing three-year risk
management programme in conjunction with RAC Business Solutions.
The contract, which began in April, covers fleet safety
audits, management workshops, on-line risk assessments
for drivers and in-vehicle one-to-one driver training
for over 2,000 employees who hold company cars.
Linden Sanders, group insurance and health and safety
manager, Cattles, says: “We chose RAC because of
the expertise the company has in this area and because
it is committed to offering tailor-made and flexible
packages which match our company’s values. The
safety of our drivers is of paramount importance, and
with corporate responsibility so high on fleet managers’ agendas,
we need to ensure we are doing all we can to comply with
the letter and spirit of the law.”
Dave Abbott, director, RAC Risk Management, a division
of RAC Business Solutions, says: “We offer a pick-and-mix
suite of consultancy services to suit varying requirements,
and we have tailored this contract specifically to meet
Cattles’ requirements.” |
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